Lacrosse Drops Season Opener

February 22, 2018

by Tyler Roaix

With the lacrosse season officially underway, a young and determined Central team looked to kick off the 2018 campaign with a road victory against Saint Joseph’s. But the hype and excitement were stopped in a big way with an emphatic 21-8 loss on the road to open the season.

The game was a story of the Hawks jumping out quickly and never looking back. Francesca Donato scored two goals in the first two minutes for Saint Joseph’s, setting the tone early. Central fought back to a 3-3 tie. But the Hawks regained the lead and never relinquished it again.

The star of the game was Saint Joseph’s junior midfielder Hayley Sabol. She scored seven goals, including five in the second half, on just eight shots on goal. The shot discrepancy gave Central a clear advantage in saves, 17-10, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome the large deficit.

It was a game of runs for the Hawks. They scored the final six goals of the first half, along with eight of the last 10 goals of the second half. Meanwhile, Central failed to score more than two goals in a row at any point during the game.

One of the major differences between the teams was the ability to generate offense. Saint Joseph’s had a whopping 38 shots on goal, while the Blue Devils could only muster up 18. It was just one of the several major facets the Hawks dominated throughout the game.

Another obvious difference is the depth in rosters. Central has 19 players on its roster, 17 of which played in the season opener. On the other side, 33 different Hawks saw time on the field.

Going into the game, there was a lot of hype surrounding Central’s freshman class. Eight rookies are listed on the roster, three of which made an impact in this game. Midfielder Carissa Brown was the only one to tally a score for the team, netting her first career goal. Emma Sullivan did her best to control the ball, picking up three ground balls in her first game. Meghan Allard also got her first experience as a goalkeeper, playing the entire second half in net for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils will be back on the field Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Army West Point, followed by another road game Saturday, Feb. 24 at New Hampshire. Central will play their first home game after that on Tuesday, March 6.